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      UFC 130 Preview: Travis Browne vs. Stefan Struve

      May 28, 2011 /

      nullIn a recent article, I called Travis Browne the dark horse in the UFC heavyweight division.

      On Saturday, at UFC 130, we will see if that was correct, or if I cursed him forever as the unbeaten heavyweight collides with Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve on the main card.

      Here is a look at both fighters heading into this contest.

      Travis Browne (10-0-1) – Browne is a big powerful striker that has eight of his 10 victories by knockout, with five of those coming in under 60 seconds. Browne mixes up punches and kicks and he has been taken to deep waters in recent fights. He is coming off a draw with Cheick Kongo, which was a disappointment for him, but he still was able to put forth a good effort against a veteran fighter in just his second UFC bout. Browne hasn’t been tested on the ground by a real submission fighter like Struve, but Struve has struggled against powerful strikers like Browne.

      Stefan Struve (21-4) – Struve stands 6-foot-11 and has very long legs with a good reach. His striking isn’t awful, but it’s not at the level of fighters like Browne. Due to his size, Struve doesn’t have a lot of explosion for takedowns, and that is ultimately where he would like the fight to be. Struve is very solid on the ground with his submissions, especially on his back where he can work in some very tight triangle chokes. The key to this fight will be for Struve to take things to the ground when the opportunity arises and out-class Browne with his jiu-jitsu.

      Who Will Win: Struve struggled with the likes of Roy Nelson and Junior dos Santos, losing to both early in the first round by KO. I see a similar end in this contest. Browne is very solid with his strikes and I see him catching Struve early and finishing the fight with a KO in the first round.

      Events, Fighters, UFC

      UFC 130 Weigh-In Results: All fighters make weight

      May 27, 2011 /

      nullAll 20 competitors that will be taking part in Saturday’s UFC 130 successfully weighed in on Friday.

      Main-event light heavyweights Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill both hit the 205-pound limit on the dot and then had an intense stare down to hype up the live crowd. Jackson is likely fighting for a title shot against Jon Jones with a win while Hamill is seeking the biggest win in his pro career.

      In the co-main event, heavyweights Frank Mir and Roy Nelson came in at 260 pounds. Nelson adorned some lovely pigtails with pink ribbons while Mir looked to be all business.

      Thiago Alves, who has had a history of missing weight, looked healthy in his 170-pound weigh-in. He will face off with Rick Story, who also weighed in at 170 pounds. Alves is looking to get back into the UFC welterweight title picture while Story is seeking the biggest win in his young career.

      Check out the rest of the UFC 130 weigh-in results after the jump.

      Continue reading »

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Reports: Bisping, Mayhem to coach TUF 14

      May 27, 2011 /

      nullThe next season of The Ultimate Fighter has its coaches and it is certainly an interesting pair.

      Sherdog.com has all the details on the middleweight tandem that will coach TUF 14.

      Michael Bisping and Jason “Mayhem” Miller will serve as coaches for the upcoming 14th season of Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter.” MixedMartialArts.com on Friday reported that UFC President Dana White has confirmed the “TUF” pairing, and Sherdog.com has independently confirmed the booking with a source close to the situation.

      The slot opposite Bisping was initially planned for Chael Sonnen, but the Team Quest fighter was reportedly removed from the plan due to his suspension in California.

      Miller had been slated to square off with Aaron Simpson at UFC 132 on July 2, but that bout has reportedly been scrapped to allow Miller to participate in the show. Simpson should receive a new opponent shortly. According to Sonnen’s testimony at his most recent appeal, the winner of his bout with Bisping would have been awarded a middleweight title shot. It is unknown at this time if that scenario is applicable with Miller now in the fold.

      Well, though both men aren’t amongst the elite of MMA, both certainly provide entertainment value. It will be interesting to see how much Miller pokes at Bisping in hopes of getting him riled up.

      In terms of a matchup, I think Miller is signing up for a bad fight. Bisping is going to be bigger, stronger, and have much superior striking. I don’t see Mayhem being able to get Bisping to the ground and that is the only way he can win that fight.

      Fighters, News, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC

      UFC 130 Preview: Thiago Alves vs. Rick Story

      May 27, 2011 /

      nullWill it be a “Story”-book ending for Rick Story on Saturday night?

      Alright, that is lame, but how can you not incorporate that into the biggest fight of Rick Story’s career? At UFC 130, we will see just how legit Story is when he takes on former No. 1 contender in the UFC welterweight division, Thiago Alves.

      Here is a look at both fighters heading into the contest.

      Thiago Alves (18-7) – Alves is trying to get himself back into the title picture as back-to-back decision losses to Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch set him back. Alves has since picked up an impressive win over John Howard and with the work of weight-cutting master, Mike Dolce, he seems to be a newly energized fighter. Alves has some of the best striking in the division as his leg kicks are considered to be among the most powerful in all of MMA. Alves is a very explosive and quick fighter and he can take a punch too. Where “The Pitbull” has struggled in recent fights is with his takedown defense. Fitch and GSP were able to get Alves to the ground with relative ease and Story will be looking to do the same thing on Saturday.

      Rick Story (12-3) – This 26-year-old is on a tear, winning his last five fights in the Octagon, including wins over Brian Foster and Johny Hendricks. Story is a scrapper that just likes to push the pace no matter where the fight goes. He doesn’t let his opponents get time to think and forces them to have to make bad decisions, which opens the door for him to exploit a weakness. This will be the toughest test in Story’s career and be on the biggest stage, so nerves could be a factor for him. We haven’t seen Story face someone with the kicks that Alves has either, so it will be interesting to see how Story deals with the pain of those kicks as they come. Story can’t afford to be too cautious and let Alves get planted to throw his big strikes.

      Who Will Win: This could be a bad matchup for Alves because of Story’s grappling ability, but I think Story lacks the explosiveness that St. Pierre and Fitch have with their takedowns. If the fight stays standing, which I think it will, I look for Alves to eventually land a big strike and finish off the up-and-coming fighter.

      Events, Fighters, UFC

      Belcher to return to the octagon on Sept. 17

      May 26, 2011 /

      nullIt has been a long road for Alan Belcher to get back into the octagon, but it appears that that road has ended.

      Sherdog.com announced on Thursday that “The Talent” will make his long-awaited return at UFC Fight Night Live on Sept. 17 in New Orleans when he takes on UFC veteran, Jason MacDonald.

      Belcher, 27, has not competed in the Octagon since May 8, 2010. “The Talent” has been recovering from a detached retina that put his fighting career in doubt. Now back to full strength, Belcher looks to continue his two-fight winning streak that he began in December 2009 by knocking out Wilson Gouveia before submitting Patrick Cote six months later at UFC 113.

      Like his opponent, MacDonald was also shelved for an extended period of time following an injury. “The Athlete” suffered a gruesome broken leg in his UFC 113 bout against John Salter, taking nearly a year off before returning at UFC 129 to submit Ryan Jensen with a triangle choke.

      Belcher had fought his way into the top 10 of the UFC middleweight division after beating fighters like Denis Kang, Gouveia, and Cote while also losing a controversial decision to Yoshihiro Akiyama.

      Belcher was scheduled to fight Demian Maia last fall but his eye injury forced him away from competition. He will now look to get back into the top 10 picture with a win over MacDonald.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

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